Poland

Poland enter the Women's EHF EURO 2016 with a new head coach at the helm. At the beginning of July it was announced that Leszek Krowicki takes over the team that had been led by Kim Rasmussen, winner of the Women's EHF Champions League with CSM Bucuresti in the 2015/16 season.

The Rasmussen era was one of the most successful in the history of Poland's women's national team, reaching the semi-final of the World Championship in 2013 and 2015 under the Dane's guidance, leaving Krowicki with big shoes to fill.

However, at EHF EURO events Poland's record is not that impressive so far. They participated in four final tournaments to date, with a 5th place in 1998 being the best result to date.

Upcoming Matches

Karolina Kudlacz-Gloc

The 31-year old back court player and national team captain is one of the most recognisable players in the modern history of Polish women’s handball. Playing for HC Leipzig in the German Bundesliga and the Women’s EHF Champions League, she is great attacker, being strong and fast and always dangerous with her fierce shots.

On the national team level her greatest achievements are the two semi-final berths she secured with Poland at the World Championships 2013 and 2015. In 2016 she was awarded the EHF's Player of the Month on two occasions, first in June then again in September 2016.

"We are very excited to be a part of the EHF EURO once again. It's a great chance to face all the best teams in the world. Our goal? We can really achieve a lot, but have to stay focused. If you want to win against such strong teams, you have to play at 100 per cent for 60 minutes," underlines Kudłacz-Gloc.

Alina Wojtas

Alina Wojtas returns to the Polish national team following more than a year-long break which saw her sidelined with a serious knee injury.

Luckily, the left back, who plays for Norwegian side Larvik, feels much better now and hopes to be an important part of the team at the EHF EURO 2016 in Sweden. She is the one of the tallest players in the squad, and her biggest advantage has not changed: her incredibly powerful long distance shot.

"Everybody knows that the European Championship is the toughest competition in handball, much more difficult than the World Championship. However, we want to develop as a team and we can’t be afraid of any opponent. We will be well prepared for our rivals," says Wojtas.

Leszek Krowicki started out as head coach of the Polish national team only at the beginning of September 2016, succeeding Dane Kim Rasmussen who now coaches Hungary's women's national team. Krowicki has almost twenty years of coaching experience under his belt. Since the 1990s he has been training various women's clubs in Germany and is currently employed at VfL Oldenburg since 2005. However, Krowicki knows that given the little time he has to prepare his team for the EHF EURO, every minute will be precious.

"We want to get 100 per cent out of every minute that we spend together before the start of the tournament. We focus mainly on our tactics, in particular because we have so many young players. Our goal is to introduce these girls to the team, make them comfortable with the atmosphere. Our goal in Sweden is to gain satisfaction from the way we play, from our hard work. Our team is very hungry for success," he says.